Matt Hale's mother laments his racist rants

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Journal Star

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Posted Jan. 14, 2014 at 9:37 PM

Posted Jan. 14, 2014 at 9:37 PM

CHICAGO — Nearly 10 years after self-proclaimed white supremacist Matthew Hale began serving a 40-year prison sentence for ordering the murder of a federal judge, his mother said Tuesday she wishes he would have kept his mouth shut.

Evelyn Hutcheson says the former East Peorian and Bradley University graduate would not have attracted the attention of authorities if he hadn't openly expressed his racist beliefs, which she thinks led to his battles in court over his law license.

She told the Chicago Sun-Times that Hale's inability to practice law gave him too much time alone to talk, and had he kept quiet, "He would have been practicing law for 10 years," instead of being behind bars since 2005.

"When he was young, he did a lot of reading," she said of her son. "My opinion is, his father was a quiet racist. But I think that Matt knew."

Hale headed a group called the World Church of the Creator, which preached racial holy war. The group was sued in federal court by an Oregon religious organization claiming it owned the copyright on the name.

Hale became enraged at U.S. District Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow after she ordered his group to stop using the name. He was later convicted of urging an undercover FBI informant to murder her and sentenced in April 2005.

Hutcheson says Hale received the harsh sentence because it came months after the murder of Lefkow's mother and husband.

Hale maintained recently in a letter to the newspaper he is not guilty of putting out a hit on Lefkow, the Sun-Times reported.

Hutcheson said her son will continue to appeal his sentence, and that she said she helps by typing out "press releases" for him.

"I'm 75 now, so I'll be dead," when he gets out of prison, she said. "It's just a really sad thing."